AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF INDIAN

STUDIES , GURGAON

LOCATION:- GURGAON
CLIMATE:- COMPOSITE
BUILDING TYPE:-INSTITUTIONAL
ARCHITECTS:- VINOD GUPTA , LP SINGH , AMRITA SHARMA , KOHELI
BANERJEE OF SPACE DESIGN ASSOCIATES , NEW DELHI
FLOOR AREA:- 1500 M
YEAR OF COMPLETION:-1998
COST:- RS 20 MILLION
MATERIAL USED :- BRICKS, EXPOSED CONCRETE , SANDSTONES
INTRODUCTION:- THE AIIS (AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF INDIAN
STUDIES) IS A CONSORTIUM OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES THAT
PROVIDES SCHOLARS WITH FACILITIES FOR RESEARCH IN INDIAN ART
, ARCHITECTURE AND MUSIC.
CONCEPT : FUSION OF TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE WITH
MODERNISM
ONE OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL INDIAN
ARCHITECTURE AND EUROPEAN STYLE BUILDINGS IS IN THE
DIVERSITY OF FUNCTIONAL SPACES THAT AN INDIAN BUILDING

LOCATION MAP

ELEVATION

BASEMENT

PASSIVE SOLAR TECHNIQUES

COURTYARD PLANNING AND TERRACE GARDEN
AS THE AIIS WAS SETUP TO CONSERVE INDIAN ART AND
ARCHITECTURE , THE BUILDING DESIGN REFERS TO THE
TRADITIONAL INDIAN WAY OF BUILDING WITHOUT TRYING TO BE
MONUMENTAL .
1.

FROM OUTSIDE , THE BUILDING APPEARS TO BE A SMALL

SINGLE STOREYED STRUCTURE. AS ONE MOVES IN FROM THE
LOBBY , THE BUILDING OPENS UP TO REVEAL TO SUNKEN
COURTYARDS WITH VEGETATION AND WATER.THE SUNKEN
COURTYARDS BRING ADEQUATE DAYLIGHT INTO ALL AREAS OF
THE BUILDING INCLUDING THE BASEMENT AND ARE DESIGNED TO
HOLD SMALL MEETINGS IN THE SUMMER.THE ARCHITECT HAS
ATTEMPTED TO RESTORE TO THE COURTYARD TO ITS ORIGINAL
FUNCTION OF BEING AN INTERNAL CLIMATE MODIFIER RATHER
THAN BEING SIMPLY A LIGHT WELL.

2.

THE TERRACE GARDENS WITH ITS MODERN PAVILLIONS IS

SUITABLE FOR LARGER GATHERINGS , WHICH USUALLY TAKE
PLACE IN THE WINTER. THE BREEZY CENTRAL VERANDAH IS
IDEALLY SUITED TO THE MONSOON PERIOD. THE FIRST COURT IS

GROUND FLOOR

SECTIONS

ORIENTATION
THE BUILDING FAADE IS STAGGERED AT 45 DEGREES TO THE SITE
BOUNDARY WHICH ALLOWS NORTH AND SOUTH ORIENTATION FOR
THE WINDOWS THUS REDUCING HEAT GAIN THROUGH WINDOWS.
FENESTRATION AND SHADING
1. THE WINDOWS HAVE ADEQUATE SUN SHADING TO REDUCE DIRECT
SOLAR GAINS. ON THE EAST-WEST FACES , SMALL SLIT LIKE
OPENINGS ARE FILLED WITH GLASS BRICKS TO LET IN LIGHT
WITHOUT HEAT AND TO IMPROVE THE DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT
WITHIN THE ROOM
2. LIGHT SHELVES , IN THE FORM OF WHITE CERAMIC TILED
SURFACES , ON THE TOP OF SUN SHADES AND BELOW THE
VENTILATOR , INCREASE LIGHT PENETRATION INTO THE INTERIORS
BY REFLECTING THE EXTERNAL LIGHT ON TO THE CEILING.
3. LONG COURBUSIAN LOUVERD SLITS ON THE INTERNAL WALL OF
THE DIRECTORS ROOM INCREASE AIR CIRCULATION AND LIGHT.
ALL THESE DEVICES ENSURE THAT NO ARTIFICIAL LIGHT IS
NEEDED DURING THE DAY.
RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS

:- SOLAR WATER HEATING

INNOVATIVE SYSTEMS

:- INNOVATIVE SPACE COOLING CONCEPT

1. GURGAON HAS A COMPOSITE CLIMATE LIKE THAT OF DELHI AND

EVAPORATIVE AIR COOLING IS EFFECTIVE ONLY FOR ABOUT 2
MONTHS IN A YEAR. IN THIS CLIMATE , PASSIVE SOLAR
ARCHITECTURE CANNOT PROVIDE THE KIND OF THERMAL
COMFORT THAT AIR CONDITIONING DOES. IT WAS FOUND THAT
AIR CONDITIONING WAS A MAJOR COST ELEMENT NOT ONLY AS
DIRECT CAPITAL COST OF AIR CONDITIONING PLANT BUT ALSO AS
THE COST OF ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION EQUIPMENT , GENERATORS
FOR STANDBY POWER.
2. IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT IF AIR CONDITIONING WERE TO BE
REPLACED BY EVAPORATIVE AIR COOLING , THE TOTAL
CONNECTED POWER LOAD OF THE BUILDING COULD BE REDUCED
TO ABOUT 60KWTS.
3. HOWEVER , THE CHANGE TO AIR COOLING , WHICH ADDS
HUMIDITY , IS NOT GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE OR ARCHIVES UNLESS
SOME SPECIAL MEASURES ARE ADOPTED. THEREFORE , A
COMBINATION OF BOTH PASSIVE SOLAR ARCHITECTURE AND A
SPECIAL 2 STAGE EVAPORATIVE COOLING WAS ADOPTED.
4. THE FIRST STAGE PROVIDES NORMAL DIRECT EVAPORATIVE

EARTH CONTACT
1. SINCE IT IS DIFFICULT TO COOL A MULTISTOREYED BUILDING BY
PASSIVE SOLAR TECHNIQUES ,IN THE NEW DESIGN ,THE
BUILDING WAS LIMITED TO BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOORS.
2.

THE WORK SPACES ARE ARRANGED AROUND TWO SUNKEN

COURTYARDS WITH WATER AND PLANTATIONS .THE PASSAGES
AROUND THE COURTYARDS FORM A THERMAL TRANSITION ZONE
BETWEEN THE OUTDOOR AND THE CONTROLLED INDOOR
TEMPERARTURE, MODULATING PEOPLES EXPECTATIONS OF
THERMAL COMFORT AS THEY MOVE FROM ONE PLACE TO
ANOTHER.

3. THE ARCHIVES HAVE TO BE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE OF

18 DEGREE AND NEED TO BE AIR CONDITIONED ANYWAY.SOME OF
ASSOCIATED TECHNICAL AREAS ALSO REQUIRE AIRCONDITIONING.TO REDUCE THE COOLING LOADS ,THESE SPECIAL
AREAS AND THE LIBRARIES ARE LOCATED IN THE BASEMENT.THE
WORK AREAS LOCATED AT THE GROUND FLOOR ARE PROTECTED
BY SPECIALLY INSULATED( EXPANDED POLYETHYLENE) EXTERNAL
WALLS AND COOLED BY TERRACE GARDEN.

DESIGN FEATURES
TERRACE GARDEN
LIGHT SHELVES
GLASS BRICK
COURTYARD PLANNING
LONG COURBUSIAN LOUVERED SLITS
EXPANDED POLYETHYLENE INSULATION

DETAILS
LIGHT SHELF

ALIGHT SHELFIS ANARCHITECTURAL

ELEMENTTHAT ALLOWSDAYLIGHTTO
PENETRATE DEEP INTO A BUILDING. THIS
HORIZONTAL LIGHT-REFLECTING OVERHANG IS
PLACED ABOVE EYE-LEVEL AND HAS A HIGHREFLECTANCE UPPER SURFACE. THIS SURFACE
IS THEN USED TO REFLECT DAYLIGHT ONTO
THE CEILING AND DEEPER INTO A SPACE.
GLASS BRICKS PROVIDE VISUAL OBSCURATION
WHILE ADMITTING LIGHT.

GLASS BRICK

SALIENT FEATURES OF EXPANDED

POLYETHYLENE INSULATION
SHOCK ABSORPTION
FLEXIBILITY
LIGHT WEIGHT
WATER/ MOISTURE RESISITANT
THERMAL INSULATION
SOUND DAMPNER
NON-TOXIC

TERRACE
TERRACE
GARDEN ARE OFTEN FOUND IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
GARDEN
AS PLANTS HAVE THE ABILITY TO REDUCE THE OVERALL HEAT
ABSORPTION OF THE BUILDING WHICH THEN REDUCES ENERGY
CONSUMPTION. IT PROVIDES RESISTANCE TO THERMAL
INSULATION. ROOF TOP GARDENS ARE ALSO BENEFICIAL IN
REDUCING RAIN RUN-OFF.

THANK YOU

SUBMITTED BY :ATINDRIYA SHOME - 19

DEEPALI PATHAK - 27